Railroad-tie.



A. W. GOULD.

RAILROAD TIE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1917.

Patented June 4, 1918.

mass

non.

RAILROAD-TIE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 4:, 1918.

Application filed January 22, 1917. Serial No. 143,661.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS WARREN GOULD, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Seattle, county of King, and State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Ties, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railroad ties and consists of a tie manufactured out of a material of a specific character which, for the present purpose is, reinforced with metal bars.

The object of my invention is to procure a tie which is not subject to decay and which will, therefore, have an indefinite life, and also one which may be handled after the manner of ordinary ties, is not too heavy to be handled by the ordinary track crew, and one with which the usual methods of fastening the rails may be employed.

The particular features of novelty of my invention will be hereinafter particularly defined by the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate this tie and the manner of its construction, the same being that which is now preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a tie.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a tie in place in a road bed showing the rails also in place.

Fig. 3 is a side view of a section of track showing the ties in place.

Fig. L is a longitudinal sectional view through one end of a tie at the plane occupied by the reinforcing bars.

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through a tie.

In the attempt to produce a railroad tie which is not subject to decay, concrete has been often proposed. Such ties are very heavy, high in first cost, liable to breakage and must be provided with special and relatively expensive means for securing the rails thereto.

I have discovered that if a non-metallic mineral mass may be obtained which, instead of the compact and relatively nonporous character usually found in rocks, is of a highly cellular or expanded character, containing a high percentage of minutely subdivided voids, and particularly if the mineral or solid contents be of low specific gravity, the same is, in many ways, well adapted for uses of such kind as quite generally demand wood.

I have also discovered a natural deposit of such a mineral mass, of a character which may be called a tufaceous breccia, which may be readily worked and shaped toany shape desired by methods very like those employed in preparing and shaping wood. I have, therefore, employed the same in making ties. This may be given a reinforcement which increases its strength and resistance tobreaking strain.

In making ties these are cut to the size desired, as for instance the size which is standard for wood ties, namely seven inches by eight inches by eight feet long. To reinforce them they are then bored longitudinally, rods placed in these holes and secured therein by grouting with a cementitious mixture.

In the drawings, 1 indicates the mineral mass which forms the body of the tie, 2 the reinforcing rods, 3 the cement or grouting, 4 the rails and 5 the spikes. I have shown only two reinforcing rods to a tie, these being each located toward one of the larger sides. In setting the tie this side may be placed either up or down, as desired or required to suit particular conditions. The number of reinforcing rods and their location may be anything desired.

In the drawings no attempt has been made to show the porous or cellular character of the material, as this could only be very imperfectly done. The material used being highly cellular, nails or spikes may be driven into it, these crushing only the cell. walls, which before occupied the space now occupied by the spike or nail. Being of highly cellular structure, the material dis placed by the spikes may be compressed, thus forming a condensed and hard layer immediately surrounding the spike. The spike is as securely held as it would be were the tie of wood. The cellular nature of the material also prevents rupture of the material except that which is in the path of the spike.

By reason of the cellular character of the material, the tie is relatively light and being mineral, it will not rot. The cell walls also are impervious and consequently freezing and thawing does not disintegrate them. The material is also soft enough to make cutting easy with tools of the type used for Working rock or coal and With many tools of types used in Working Wood.

What I claim as my invention is: l. A railroad tie composed of a tufaceous 5 breccia reinforced with iron.

2. A railroad tie composed of a cellular I mineral mass having reinforcing bars eml; bedded therein. 1 3. A railroad tie comprising a body com- 5 10 posed of a naturally consolidated mineral mass having holes produced therein and re inforcing bars placed in said holes and secured by cementing.

4. A railroad tie composed of a tufaceous loreccia having holes extending lengthwise 15 thereof, reinforcing bars in said holes and a cementing mass securing the rods in their holes.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 9th day of J anuary 1917.

AUGUSTUS lVARREN GOULD.

Gcpies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

